Prefabricated swimming-pool construction



Jan. 7, 1969 M, M. scHANKLER PREFABRICATED SWIMMING-POL CONSTRUCTION Sheet Filed Oct. l0, 1966 Jan 7; 1969 M. M. scHANKLER 3,419,917l

` PREFBRICATED SWIMMING-POOL CONSTRUCTION Filed oct, 1o. 19:56A

- Sheet United States Patent O 3,419,917 PREFABRICATED SWIMMING-POOL CONSTRUCTION Martin M. Schankler, 1 Rowan Court, East Brunswick, NJ. 08816 Filed Oct. 10, 1966, Ser. No. 591,365 U.S. Cl. 4-172 Int. Cl. E04h 7/00 This invention relates to an economical prefabricated swimming pool construction which greatly simplifies installation while improving the quality of the linal product.

A 4primary object of this invention is to provide a swimming pool which may be easily and economically installed and which possesses the desirable characteristics of a solid Wall type swimming pool.

Another object is to provide a swimming pool having smooth, rigid, and durable inside surfaces.

Another object is a swimming pool that does not require back lilling of earth in its construction.

Another object is a swimming pool that does not require poured concrete or concrete block side walls or bottom.

Another object is a swimming pool that does not require preparation of the excavation such as smoothing, tarnping, troweling, or sifting of the earth forming the bottom or side surfaces of the swimming pool excavation.

Another object is a prefabricated swimming lpool that may be assembled on the construction site.

Another object is a prefabricated swimming pool construction in which a set of steps, drain, skimmer, pump, lights and other operating and beautifying equipment may be integrally provided.

Another object is a prefabricated swimming pool having a thin preformed rigid inner shell and a thin flexible outer liner.

Another object is a swimming pool construction having a rigid inner shell consisting of preformed shell sections which are lightweight, easily handled, and easily joined together.

Other objects will appear from time to timein the ensuing specilication and drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of an exemplary form of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2 2 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 3 is a detailed view to an enlarged scale showing an exemplary upper edge construction for the swimming pool of this invention; and

FIGURE 4 is a detailed sectional view to an enlarged scale of an exemplary form of a rigid inner shell section joint.

In FIGURES l and 2, the new and improved swimming pool of this invention is shown as consisting of a swimming pool walk or rim 10, having an opening 12; an excavation within such opening having side walls 14 and bottom 16; a thin outer liner 18 draped within such excavation, with such liner being flexible so that it conforms with and generally adheres to the bottom and side surfaces of the excavation; and a rigid inner shell 20 having an outwardly extending flange 24, with such inner shell flange resting generally on the walk or rim and flexible outer liner edges thereby retaining such liner while supportin-g such inner shell. Undisturbed earth is indicated by the numeral 26.

The rigid inner shell is shown as consisting of four segments 2S, 30, 32 and 34 which have been joined together at watertight joints 36. It should be understood, however, that such rigid inner shell may consist of more or less than four such sections. The rigid inner shell 20 may contain a set of steps 38 and a drain 40 integrally fashioned therein. Further, the rigid inner shell may cori- 6 Claims 3,41 9,9 l 7 Patented Jan. 7, 1969 tain or be provided with a space for housing the water filtration, circulation and purification systems as at 42. Further, the swimming pool inner shell may contain or have provisions for mounting a skimmer 44, a water return system 46, lights, not shown, and other standard swimming pool accessories.

The excavation consisting of side walls 14 and bottom 16 is made slightly larger than, but -generally conforming to the outside contour of the rigid inner shell 20, so that after installation of the rigid inner shell within such excavation, a cavity 48 exists between the flexible outer liner and the rigid inner shell.

In FIGURE 3, one type of swimming pool edge construction which may be used with my new invention has been depicted. The walk 10 has been shown as having a frame or insert 50 which extends around the periphery of the opening 12 having one side edge generally ush with the opening 12. As shown in FIGURE 3, the frame 50 is generally rectangular in cross-section and is attached to the walk 10 with a fastener 56. The rigid inner shell flange 24 contains a downward extending rim 58 which together with the inner shell side wall and flange forms a U-shaped cross-section. Such U-shaped cross-section rests on and cups the frame 50 thereby maintaining lateral alignment of the inner shell within the excavation.

The outer edges of the flexible outer liner 18 extend out of the excavation and are folded back upon the frame 50 so that when the inner shell flange 24 rests on the frame 50, such outer liner edges are pinched between the iiange and frame thereby retaining the flexible outer liner. Alternatively, the liexible outer liner may be fastened to the frame by staples or other like means.

A float gauge may be provided integrally with the rigid inner shell to indicate the water level existing in the cavity 48. Such float gauge consists of a generally ver-. tically disposed transparent tube or conduit 62 which is open at its upward extending end `64 and is sealed at its lower end 66. The conduit 62 is of such length that the open end 64 extends above the desired water level existing within the rigid inner shell. A passage 68 is formed at the lower end `of the tube to vent such tube to the outside of the rigid inner shell 20 and thereby to cavity 48 so that the water level existing within the tube 62 will be the same as that existing within the cavity 48. An indicating float 70 is introduced into tube 62 thereby providing an indication of the water level existing in cavity 48.

In FIGURE 4, a typical rigid inner shell section joint 36 has been shown. The rigid inner shell sections 28 and 30 have been shown as having an integral outward extending flange 72. The section joint 36 is formed by the anges 72, a gasket 74 which is interposed between such anges and a suitable fastener 76 which attaches and draws together such anges.

The use, operation and function of the invention are as follows:

At least two general types of pool constructions are widely used today. One type has relatively thick, solid walls as typified by the conventional indoor swimming pool. The second type of pool includes a relatively thin liner member which, though impervious to water passage, does not have the strength and rigidity of the solid wall swimming pool and consequently requires a supporting structure. The solid wall type swimming pool has the advantage of having smooth, rigid walls and bottom. Another advantage of the solid wall type swimming pool is that it facilitates installation in its side walls of lights, returns, skimmers and other beautifying and operating equipment.

The primary disadvantage of a solid wall type swimming pool is its high cost of installation. Further, since back filling of excavated earth is required after the side walls have been constructed, excavated earth must be kept at the construction site until such back filling has been accomplished.

A liner type ground pool is generally constructed by forming side walls from any suitable building material such as concrete and laying up a bo-ttom. Tle bottom may be formed by solid type building materials such as concrete blocks, but more often it is merely a layer of sand which has been smoothed as carefully as possible to prevent any lumps or irregularities in the soil from projecting upward and causing a rough or bumpy bottom when the liexible liner is laid on it.

The primary advantage of the liner type ground pool is its low cost of construction as compared with the solid wall type swimming pool. However, such flexible liner swimming pools have many disadvantages. In addition to having to specially prepare the side walls and bottom of'the excavation, flexible liner construction using a sand bottom permits shifting of the sand under the bottom liner due to the action of swimmers. Thus, dents or footprints are caused in the bottom surface of the sand bottom liner type swimming pool producing a rough looking and generally lumpy bottom. Such botto-rn deformation occurs even when the bottom has been smoothly tamped or troweled. A further disadvantage in the liner type swimming pool is that the ground under the liner must be carefully sifted in order to eliminate any Stor-.cs or other hard or sharp objects which might cut the liner. Further, exible liners frequently sag and stretch unevenly during installation, lbunching up and wrinkling and thereby making the filling a slow process. During such lling considerable tugging of the liner is required in an effort to pull wrinkles out of the side walls as the water rises. Further, stretching in the wall sections of the liner as the swimming pool is filled with water makes it impossible to cut holes in the liner for lights, returns and skimmers until the pool is virtually full of water. Once the pool is full of water and the holes cut, emptying and refilling pose special problems of `wrinkling, sagging and extra stresses on the liner around the openings. A final disadvantage of the liner type pool is their susceptibility to damage by sharp toys or implements in areas above the water level.

The swimming pool construction o-f this invention combines the advantages of both the solid wall type swimming pool and the liner type swimming pool while avoiding their respective disadvantages. Further, the swimming pool construction of this invention provides such benefits more economically and requires less installation time than either the solid wall or liner type swimming pool.

To construct a swimming pool in accordance with this invention, a walk or rim is constructed to form the desired perimeter of the swimming pool. Such walk or rim may be constructed using pour-in-place concrete, precast concrete slabs, wood, plastic, or other suitable material. Using the walk 1() as a guide, the swimming pool hole is excavated, with such excavation having a perimeter as defined by the opening 12 in the walk 10 and having a bottom contour generally conforming to the botto-m contour of the rigid inner shell 20. The excavation is made slightly deeper than the depth of the rigid inner shell 2l) so that after installation of the inner shell into the excavation, with such inner shell resting by its flange 24 on the walk frame 5t), the cavity 48 exists between the lined excavation wall and bottom surfaces and the outer surfaces of the rigid inner shell 20. With no further preparation to the excavation, the thin, flexible watertight outer liner 18 is drapped within the excavation with its outer edges extending out of such excavation and onto the walk frame 50. The rigid inner shell 20 is then lowered into the excavation and is supported therein by the inner shell peripheral flange 24 which rests on the frame 50. The flexible outer liner 18 is pinched between the frame 50 and the rigid inner shell flange 24 and is thereby retained.

The rigid inner shell 20 may be molded uzing plastic, formed out of metal, cast using concrete, or similarly fabricated using any suitable material. The rigid inner shell may consist of one prefabricated piece or it may consist of a plurality of prefabricated sections which are joined together at the construction site. In FIGURES l and 2, the rigid inner shell has been shown as consisting of four such sections joined at gasketed, watertight joints 36. The joint 36 between rigid shell sections, as sho-wn in FIGURE 4, is made by drawing two shell section flanges 72 together with fasteners 76 after a sealing gasket 74 has been interposed between such flanges. As the flanges are drawn together, the gasket is compressed thereby sealing the joint.

Lateral alignment of the rigid inner shell 20 within the excavation is maintained by engagement of the downward extending rim 58 at the outer edge of the inner shell flange 24 with the insert or Iframe 50. The insert or frame may be fabricated using redwood, plastic, or other suitable material and is attached to the rim or walk 10 with the fastener 56. Although it is preferable to guarantee lateral retention of the rigid inner shell, such is not necessary. Accordingly, the rigid inner shell may be constructed without a downward extending rim 5S and the walk 10 need not contain a frame 50 and fasteners 56.

After installation of the rigid inner shell 20 within the excavation, the swimming pool is ready to be filled with water. As ywater is introduced into the rigid inner shell, water is also introduced into the cavity 48 existing between the outer flexible liner 18 and the inner rigid shell 20. In so filling the swimming pool of this invention, the water level within the rigid inner shell 20 is maintained equal to or slightly greater than th-e water level existing within cavity 48 to insure that the inner shell does not oat on the water in cavity 48.

The oat gauge 60 is provided to facilitate ascertainment of the water level within cavity 48. As water lls the cavity 48, such water enters the conduit 62 through passage 68. The indicator float 70 floats on the water Within the tube thereby indicating through the transparent conduit wall the Water level within cavity 48.

Although a swimming pool having a rectangular shaped opening has been shown, it should be understood that the swimming pool of this invention may be oval, kidney, or any other desired shape. Further, although the bottom contour of the swimming pool has been shown as having a shallow or wading end and a deep or diving end, it should be understood that the swimming pool of this invention may be constructed having any desired bottom contour.

It can be readily seen that the swimming pool construction of this invention possesses distinct advantages over the solid wall or liner type swimming pools. The rigid inner shell of this invention provides an inner pool surface with similar characteristics of the solid Wall type swimming pool in that the inside surfaces are smooth, rigid, and durable.

The swimming pool construction of this invention minimizes installation time requirements and installation expense. For example, the only earth moving or earth handling operation involved in the construction of the swimming pool of this invention is that of the excavation; back filling, cOmpaCting, subsequent earth settling problems, and special preparation of the side walls and bottom of the excavation are eliminated; and costly poured concrete or concrete block walls are eliminated.

Because of the water in cavity `48, the rigid inner shell is not required to support all of the -water contained by such shell and therefore such shell may be of a thin lightweight construction which is easily handled. Since the outer liner 18 is flexible, such liner will generally adhere and conform to the contour of the excavation, thereby eliminating stresses in such liner due to the water within cavity 48 and permitting the use of a thin material.

Although several embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it win at once be apparetn to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made within the sc ope of the invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the scope of theinvention be limited, not by the foregoing exemplary description, but solely by the following claims when interpreted in light of the pertinent prior art.

What is claimed is:

1. A swimming pool consisting of:

an excavation, a walk around the periphery of said excavation, a watertight exible outer liner extending downward into said excavation, a rigid inner shell extending downward into said lined excavation, with such rigid inner shell having outside proportions smaller than the excavation so that a cavity exists between said lined excavation and said rigid inner shell, said cavity and said rigid inner shell containing liquid, and means for attaching said inner rigid shell and said flexible outer liner to said walk.

2. The swimming pool of claim 1 further characterized in that said rigid inner shell consists of a plurality of sections fastened together at watertight joints.

3. The swimming pool of claim 1 further characterized in that said rigid inner shell contains a peripheral ange which rests on said walk and thereby supports said rigid inner shell within said lined excavation.

4. The swimming pool of claim 1 further characterized in that said rigid inner shell contains a peripheral ange having a downward extending rim at the edge thereof and said walk contains a frame extending around the periphery of said excavation, with said rimmed ange engaging said frame thereby supporting and maintaining vertical and lateral alignment of said rigid inner shell within said excavation.

5. The swimming pool of claim 1 further characterized in that said rigid inner shell contains a oat gauge consisting of a generally vertically extending conduit sealed at a lower end and open at an upper end, a passage located near the lower sealed end of the conduit connecting said conduit to said cavity existing between said rigid inner shell and said exible outer liner so that the water level within the conduit will be that existing in said cavity.

6. The structure of claim 5 further characterized in that said conduit has a transparent wall and contains a float which will rise and fall with the water level within said conduit thereby indicating the water level existing in said cavity.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,731,554 10/1929 Wheeler 4--172 2,004,825 6/ 1935 Morgans 4-172 2,035,835 3/1936 Raber 4-172 2,840,828 7/ 1958 IRulrnberg 4-172 3,031,801 5/ 1962 Leuthesser 4--1'72 3,071,190 2/11963 Allen 4--172 LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner. HENRY K. ARTIS, Assistant Exa'tner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 52-169, 743 

1. A SWIMMING POOL CONSISTING OF: AN EXCAVATION, A WALK AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF SAID EXCAVATION, A WATERTIGHT FLEXIBLE OUTER LINER EXTENDING DOWNWARD INTO SAID EXCAVATION, A RIGID INNER SHELL EXTENDING DOWNWARD INTO SAID LINED EXCAVATION, WITH SUCH RIGID INNER SHELL HAVING OUTSIDE PROPORTIONS SMALLER THAN THE EXCAVATION SO THAT A CAVITY EXIST BETWEEN SAID LINED EXCAVATION AND SAID RIGID INNER SHELL, SAID CAVITY AND SAID RIGID INNER SHELL CONTAINING, LIQUID, AND MEANS FOR ATTACHING SAID INNER RIGID SHELL AND SAID FLEXIBLE OUTER LINER TO SAID WALK. 